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SYNOPSIS OF SCHOOL LAWS 

ENACTED BY THE 

TWENTY-NINTH REGULAR SESSION OF 

THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 

OF OREGON 






1917 



Issued by 
J. A. CHURCHILL 

Superintendent of Public Instruction 



The following is a brief synopsis of the principal changes 
made in the School Laws of Oregon by the Legislative Assem- 
bly of 1917. These laws will go into effect May 21, 1917. The 
revised edition of the School Laws including the new laws 
will be published by this Department and be ready for 
distribution about June first. 

MINIMUM TERM OF SCHOOL 

The most constructive measure is the law providing for 
eight months of school each year in every school district in 
Oregon. The manner of providing for this term is the same 
as the present law. The minimum term was changed from six 
months to eight months, and the minimum amount of funds 
was changed from three hundred dollars to four hundred dol- 
lars. If a school district does not receive from the County 
School Fund the amount of four hundred dollars, it shall levy 
a special tax not to exceed five mills. If this sum does not 
produce four hundred dollars, then the county court must 
apportion the balance from the general fund of the county. 

SCHOOL VOTER— QUALIFICATIONS 

The law defining the qualifications of a legal school voter 
was amended so that the property qualifications imposed by 
this law shall not apply in the election of school directors and 
school clerks. Hereafter, any citizen of this State who is 
twenty-one years of age and who has resided in the school 
district for thirty days imm.ediately preceding the school elec- 
tion, shall be entitled to vote for school directors. This change 
in the law does not affect the qualifications of a legal voter 
for bond elections or in voting a tax. 






REQUIREMENTS FOR TEACHER'S CERTIFICATE BY 
EXAMINATION 

The law requiring that no person shall be entitled to a 
certificate by examination before completing a term of at least 
six weeks of professional training was amended so that after 
September 1, 1919, all such persons must have completed a 
term of not less than twelve weeks of professional training. 
This course may be given in any chartered institution, or in 
any standard high school of the State. In the high schools, 
the course now runs through the twelfth year. When this law 
goes into effect, it will run through the eleventh and twelfth 
years. 

MILITARY TRAINING 

A law was provided for establishing military training in 
the high schools of the State subject to such direction, super- 
vision and inspection as the Governor of the State may order 
and direct. Credit shall be given toward graduation. The 
amount of such credit shall be determined by the State Board 
of Education. 

TRAINING SCHOOLS 

District school boards were authorized to use their public 
schools for training school purposes. At present this will 
apply particularly to the city of Independence. The school 
board of this district will contract with the Oregon State 
Normal School to use the public schools of Independence as a 
training school for the Normal. 

RECALL 

Provision was made for the recall of school directors. 
There must first be filed with the clerk of the school district, 
the petition of the legal voters of such district equal in number 
to fifteen per cent of the number of children of school age in 
such district. Not more than two directors shall be recalled 
at one time and the recall election may be held only at the 
time of the annual school meeting. This applies only to 
districts of the first class. 

TENURE OF OFFICE 

Certain changes were made in the school tenure law appli- 
cable to the city of Portland only. It classifies the teachers 
as follows: first, supervisors; second, high school principals; 
third, grade school principals; fourth, assistant supervisors; 
fifth, heads of departments in high schools ; sixth, high school 
instructors; seventh, grade school teachers; eighth, special 
teachers. The bill further provides that a teacher may, before 
being transferred to a branch of the service which position 



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o is of a lower rank or before being dismissed, demand a hearing. 
' This shall be before a commission. The members of the com- 
c mission are to be three disinterested persons appointed on the 

first Tuesday after the first Monday in January of each year 

by the presiding judge of the circuit court. 

SCHOOL CLERK SHALL CERTIFY AMOUNT OF MONEY 
TO BE RAISED BY SPECIAL LEVIES 

Hei'eafter, the school districts shall notify the county 
assessor and the county clerk of the amount of money to be 
raised whenever the school districts make tax levies, instead 
of certifying to the rate per cent of tax levy. These notices 
shall be filed not later than the first day of December of each 
year. 

TAX LEVY IS LIMITED TO SIX MILLS IN PORTLAND 
SCHOOL DISTRICT 

Unless specifically authorized by a majority of the legal 
voters, school districts having more than 100,000 school pop- 
ulation may not, hereafter, levy a tax of more than six mills 
on the assessed valuation of such district, provided this does 
not apply to any levy to pay off an outstanding warrant or to 
pay off a bonded debt. 

PROCEDURE FOR SUBMITTING TAX LEVY 

A law was enacted outlining the procedure whereby any 
tax-levying body may submit to the people the question of 
levying a tax when the amount to be raised is a larger amount 
than the amount limited by the Constitution. This will apply 
in case the county court or the school board of a district finds 
it necessary to levy such an amount. Whenever the court 
deems it necessary to levy such a tax it shall certify to the 
county clerk that such an increase is necessary, state the 
reasons therefor, and the amount of such increase, in not to 
exceed one hundred words. This determination and certifi- 
cate shall be made in less than thirty-five days before the 
first Tuesday after the first Monday in November of any year. 
The county clerk shall then issue orders and mail to the judges 
and clerks of election, notices of election, and the election thus 
called shall be held on the said date and in the same manner 
as other general elections. In school districts the determina- 
tion and certificate shall be made by the board of directors and 
notices of election given by the school district clerk which 
notice shall be given and published for not less than twenty 
days prior to the date of the election. Under the provisions 
of this bill any county may vote a tax sufficient to abolish 
practically all of the local tax levies for school purposes. If 
the county takes advantage of the law in this way, it will be 
to all intents and purposes working under the county unit of 
taxation. 



PARENTAL SCHOOLS 

A bill was passed authorizing the school board of any school 
district in this State having twenty thousand children of school 
age or over to build, equip, maintain and conduct, one or more 
parental schools for the care of neglected and delinquent 
children. 

TAX LEVIES IN DISTRICTS OF THE FIRST CLASS 

In districts of the first class, instead of calling a school 
meeting for the purpose of making tax levies, a regular elec- 
tion shall be called and the procedure for holding such an 
election shall be the same as for holding the annual school 
election. 

APPORTIONMENT 

The county school superintendent shall apportion the 
school funds on the second Monday in November instead of the 
first Monday in October. 

POLLS SHALL REMAIN OPEN UNTIL SEVEN P. M. 

In all school elections in districts of the first class, the 
polls shall remain open until seven p. m. instead of six p. m. 

CENSUS 
The district clerk shall take the school census on the 
twenty fifth day of October instead of on the twenty fifth day 
of November. 

CONDEMNATION 
When a school district secures land by condemnation pro- 
ceedings the title which it shall receive for such land shall be 
a fee simple title. 

KINDERGARTENS 
The school board of Portland was authorized to establish 
kindergartens. The number was limited to five and a limit 
placed upon the amount of money to be expended for such 
purpose. 

FRANCES E. WILLARD DAY 
The fourth Friday in October shall hereafter be known as 
Frances E. Willard Day and a portion of the afternoon of such 
day shall be spent in the public schools of the State in instruc- 
tion and exercises relative to the life of Frances E. Willard. 

ARBOR DAY 

Hereafter in Western Oregon, the second Friday in Feb- 
ruary shall be known as Arbor Day. For Eastern Oregon 
the date remains as at present, the second Friday in April. 

EIGHTH GRADE DIPLOMAS 

The law providing that no high school shall be entitled to 
receive tuition from the county high school fund, unless the 



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pupil holds an eighth grade diploma was amended so that the 
equivalent of an eighth grade diploma may be accepted. This 
law will be of particular benefit in cities having junior high 
schools. Pupils will not be required to take the regular exami- 
nation at the end of the eighth year. 

WARRANTS SHALL BE PAID IN ORDER OF 
ENDORSEMENT 

Whenever any warrants issued by any school district of 
this State have been, or hereafter may be endorsed *'not paid 
for want of funds" and funds shall thereafter become avail- 
able for the payment of same, such funds shall be applied in 
payment of such warrants in the order in which they were so 
endorsed. 

TEACHERS CANNOT RESIGN DURING TERM OR THIRTY 
DAYS PRIOR TO OPENING 

The law relating to the resignation of teachers was 
amended and now provides that any teacher in the public 
schools of this State and any teacher who shall have entered 
into a valid contract to teach in any public school of this State 
who shall willingly violate the terms of his or her contract 
for teaching by resigning his or her position as teacher within 
thirty days before the time during the period for which he or 
she shall have contracted to teach, shall have his or her certi- 
ficate revoked by the authorities issuing same upon due notice 
from the school board, and shall be disqualified from teaching 
in the public schools of this State for the remainder of the 
school year. The clause relating to sickness and to the rights 
of the school board to release a teacher was left unchanged. 

COUNTY SUPERINTENDENTS' SALARIES 

The salary of the county superintendent of Clackamas 
County was increased from $1,000.00 to $1,400,00 annually. 
In Malheur and Sherman counties the salary of this office was 
increased from $1,000.00 to $1,500.00 while in the new county 
of Deschutes the salary of the superintendent was fixed at 
$1,200.00. 

DIRECTORS IN DISTRICTS OF THE FIRST CLASS 

The following is the exact text of the Act providing for 
three school directors in districts of the first class instead of 
five. 

Section 1. That Section 4094, Lord's Oregon Laws, be 
amended to read as follow^s: 

Sec. 4094. At the next regular election in any district 
created as provided in Section 4091, there shall be elected two 
directors to hold office for three years. 



Section 2. That Section 4096, Lord's Oregon Laws, be 
amended to read as follows : 

Sec. 4096. Whenever the school population of any district 
shall reach one thousand or more, as shown by the annual 
census of the school clerk of the district, the board of directors 
of such district shall give notice that at the next election two 
directors are to be elected, who shall serve two years, and 
from and after such election such district shall be of the first 
class, and shall have a board composed of five directors, and 
otherwise be subject to the special laws and provisions of 
districts of the first class. 

Section 3. That Section 4097, Lord's Oregon Laws, be 
amended to read as follows: 

Sec. 4097. After the first election of members of the board 
of directors under this Act, there shall be elected two directors, 
and at the next election thereafter one director, and each of 
said directors shall hold his office for the terms of three years ; 
and all vacancies in the board shall be filled as provided by law. 

Section 4. That Section 4098, Lord's Oregon Laws, be 
amended to read as follows: 

Sec. 4098. In all organized districts of the first class the 
board of directors shall consist of five members, each of whom 
shall hold office for a term of three years. 

Section 5. That Section 4100, Lord's Oregon Laws, be 
amended to read as follows: 

Sec. 4100. All districts formed under the provisions of an 
Act entitled "An Act to organize school districts in incorpo- 
rated towns of ten thousand inhabitants, and to provide for the 
maintenance and government of public schools therein," and 
all school districts organized pursuant to this Act since 1901, 
are hereby continued as districts of the first class, and shall be 
considered as already organized as such, and the present offi- 
cers of such districts who have not served for a longer term 
than three years since the date of their respective last elections 
shall continue in office for one year, and no new directors shall 
be elected, except as provided for in Section 4097. The term of 
every director who has served for a longer period than three 
years since the date of his last election, shall expire at the date 
of the next school election in said district. 



FUTURE LEGISLATION 

RETIREMENT FUND 

A committee representing the teachers of Oregon prepared 
a bill for a Retirement Fund which was indorsed by the State 
Teachers' Association at its meeting in December. The com- 
mittee had spent much time in gathering material from other 



states and in preparing a bill which would be economically 
sound. The Legislative Assembly of 1917, however, was 
pledged to a policy of retrenchment and no new appropriation 
could be secured. This bill carried an appropriation of five 
thousand dollars for the next biennium in order to pay for 
the cost of administering the fund. It also required the State 
to pay an annuity equal to the amount earned by the teacher 
upon her retirement. It was impossible to inform the Legis- 
lature as to the approximate amount of annual appropriations 
this would require in the State. For these reasons friends of 
the measure in both Houses of the Legislature were of the 
opinion that it was not wise to introduce the bill at this time. 
The provisions of the bill were discussed by the Committee on 
Education, and it was decided to continue the work of the 
committee until the next session of the Legislature. 

TEACHERS' CERTIFICATES 

A bill was introduced providing that the graduate of a 
standard college should receive a one-year certificate author- 
izing the holder to teach in the elementary grades. The pres- 
ent law allows the graduate of a standard college or university 
to teach in the high schools of this State provided the college 
or university has a department of education fully equipped 
for training teachers for high school work ; and provided that 
the applicant has completed not less than fifteen semester 
hours in such department. The present law also authorizes 
the issuance of State certificates leading to life certificates 
to the graduates of a standard normal school, authorizing the 
holder to teach in the elementary schools of the State, pro- 
vided, the normal has a fully equipped training school for 
training teachers to teach in the first eight grades. In pass- 
ing upon the proposed law the members of the Legislature 
thought it best not to change the law, but that Oregon should 
hold to the principle that an applicant for a teacher's certifi- 
cate should receive a certificate to teach only in those grades 
for which he has been prepared to teach. 

In order that the matter may be thoroughly investigated, 
however, I have asked the president of the State Teachers' 
Association to appoint a committee to examine the certificate 
laws of this State and other states of the Union and to make 
a full and complete report upon the subject at the next meet- 
ing of the State Teachers' Association. Whatever changes 
are made in the certificate laws of Oregon should be 
satisfactory to the teachers of this State. 

J. A. CHURCHILL, 

Superintendent of Public Instruction. 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



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